Could Manchester City Disappear From EA Sports FC 27 and Football Manager?

What the Manchester City case could mean for football games

Manchester City’s Premier League financial case now raises a gaming question: what happens to the club in EA Sports FC 27, Football Manager and the ePremier League if the eventual punishment changes its league status?

Sky Sports reported on September 25 that decisions had been reached in the long-running case and that most of the charges were found proven. Manchester City says the process remains ongoing and confidential, and no punishment has been officially announced.

That distinction matters. City have not been relegated or expelled. A fine or points deduction would not change how the club is represented in football games. Even relegation into the Championship, League One or League Two would still leave City inside competitions already licensed by EA Sports FC and Football Manager.

The unusual question only appears if the sanction goes much further — particularly if City were placed below the EFL or ceased to be a Premier League club. That could affect league licensing, Career Mode placement and ePremier League eligibility.

For more football-game coverage, see our recent look at Football Manager 27 and its redesigned ultrawide interface.

EA Sports FC 27: relegation would not automatically remove City

EA Sports FC 27 launched worldwide on September 25, 2026 — the same day the latest Manchester City reports emerged. EA confirmed the launch date.

EA says FC 27 includes all 20 Premier League clubs and all 72 EFL clubs across the Championship, League One and League Two. Its official licensing breakdown confirms that coverage.

Manchester City also have a direct commercial relationship with EA. The partnership dates back to 2011 and was renewed in 2024 as an EA Sports FC partnership covering gaming and esports. Manchester City announced the renewed agreement here.

So if City were relegated into any EFL division, there is no obvious licensing reason for them to disappear from FC 27. The more complicated scenario begins below League Two, where EA’s licensed English pyramid currently ends.

Even then, removal would not be automatic. EA previously kept Wrexham in FIFA 22 under Rest of World while the club was outside the EFL. EA’s official FIFA 22 club list shows that precedent.

That means a City demotion below League Two could require a special solution rather than deletion from the game. EA has not announced what it would do, because no such sanction currently exists.

Football Manager is better prepared for a deeper drop

Football Manager 26 already licenses the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, National League, National League North and National League South. Sports Interactive lists those competitions among FM26’s official licences.

Manchester City also re-signed as an official Football Manager club partner in November 2025. Sports Interactive says the relationship dates back to the 2022/23 season. The renewed partnership was announced here.

That gives Football Manager more room than EA Sports FC if City were ever sent deep into the English pyramid. A drop into the National League system would still leave the club inside competitions already represented and licensed by the game.

Manchester City have already been in the third tier

City have been this low before — but not because of a disciplinary sanction.

Two relegations in three seasons sent Manchester City into Division Two for 1998/99, the level now known as League One. The club describes it as its only season in the third tier, with the December 1998 defeat at York City taking City to the lowest league position in their history. City have documented that season themselves.

They recovered through the play-offs, beating Gillingham on penalties at Wembley after Kevin Horlock and Paul Dickov scored late to force extra time. Manchester City describes the 1999 final as a defining moment in the club’s modern history.

One personal thought: as a Norwegian — or, if you prefer, another blond, long-haired Viking — I find it almost impossible to picture Erling Haaland playing in the lower divisions. He is one of the defining players of his generation, and seeing a player of that level suddenly dropped deep into the English pyramid would be an extraordinary sight.

That would not be about Haaland himself. It would be about football deciding how seriously it wants to enforce its financial rules. If a case this large ever produced consequences dramatic enough to send one of the world’s biggest clubs — and players of Haaland’s stature — down the pyramid, it would be a shock to the sport. Maybe football needs a shock like that to finally get some of the money problems under control. Whether this case actually ends there is another matter.

The ePremier League could be the bigger problem

Manchester City are the reigning three-time consecutive ePremier League champions. They won the 2025/26 title after beating Leeds United 8-6 in the final, taking their overall ePremier League tally to four. The Premier League confirmed the result in March 2026.

The competition is built around Premier League clubs. If City were no longer a Premier League member, their esports place would become an immediate question: would the club remain eligible, or would a replacement Premier League club take that slot?

There is no announced answer because Manchester City remain a Premier League club and no sanction has been confirmed.

So could Manchester City disappear from FC 27 or Football Manager?

Based on what has been announced so far, no.

A fine or points deduction would not affect the games. Relegation into the EFL would still leave City inside leagues licensed by both EA Sports FC 27 and Football Manager. A move below League Two would create a genuine EA licensing question, but Wrexham provides precedent for a non-league English club remaining in the game separately. Football Manager already covers the National League system.

The situation changes only if an eventual sanction is severe enough to alter City’s competition membership beyond those existing structures. At that point, EA Sports, Sports Interactive and the Premier League would have decisions to make.

For now, Manchester City remain in FC 27, remain a Football Manager partner and remain the defending ePremier League champions. The gaming story is not that City are being removed — it is that the reported case has created a licensing and esports question that did not exist a few days ago.

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